Sydney commuters can tap on and off trains, in addition to ferries and light rail using their credit card or mobile device

Sydney commuters can now ‘tap on and off’ all metro train services using their credit card or mobile device instead of their Opal card, thanks to an extension of the contactless transport payments trial run by Transport for NSW in partnership with the Commonwealth Bank, Cubic and MasterCard.

Sydney commuters can tap on and off trains using Visa, MasterCard and AMEX cards or Mobile devices

Since July 2017, commuters have been using their credit cards, smart phones, smart watches, and tablets to ‘tap and go’ on the Manly F1 ferry, before the trial was expanded to all public ferry and light rail services in March 2018. To date, more than 235,000 trips have been made using the contactless payments option.

The core payment infrastructure has been developed by CBA. The Commonwealth Bank also plays a key role as the acquirer, and back-end processor of the transactions.

All Visa, MasterCard and AMEX cards are accepted, and commuters using contactless payments will now also enjoy daily, weekly and Sunday travel caps in line with Opal caps. However, other Opal benefits such as the weekly travel discount, concessions and the transfer discount will not be available.

CBA’s Business Customer Solutions Executive General Manager Clive Van Horen said, “Nearly all of an individual’s daily transactions across the city can now be accessed with a single card or device. This is in direct response to a growing demand for contactless payments, and the use of digital wallets.”

In an Australian-first initiative, CBA will leverage its ongoing and exclusive partnership with Mobeewave – pioneers in mobile contactless payment acceptance – to allow transit officers to validate contactless payment fares using off-the-shelf devices. With the support of IDEMIA – a global leader in payment and identity solutions – Mobeewave has adapted its patented payment acceptance platform to create a new contactless validation solution that provides a cost-effective way to mitigate the risk of fare evasion.

The trial has the potential to be replicated to other transport networks across Australia.

“Cities and public transport authorities across Australia are realising the value this payments technology can deliver for both customers and transport providers alike. It demonstrates the future capability for commuters across the states and territories, and will ultimately make commuting across the country, and across transport networks, a simpler and easier day-to-day process,” Mr Van Horen said.